Top 5 Gambling Songs

Have you noticed how popular the gambling culture has become? Gambling is a theme no longer reserved for casino operators exclusively – today, gambling is an inseparable part of our pop and TV culture. Movies like “Casino” and “Rounders” are among the most loved gambling-related movies, for they provide us with a glimpse of the glamour of Vegas.

We seem to love everything related to gambling. For example, apart from gambling-themed movies, a lot of us find gambling songs especially catchy. Below, you will find www.mobilecasinohub.com’s list of the best 5 gambling-related songs.

5Elvis Presley – Viva Las Vegas

Viva Las Vegas is the theme song of the 1964 movie of the same title. Believe us, there is no other song that praises the world’s (former) gambling capital like Presley’s Viva Las Vegas. Elvis never sang the song live, but it became a huge hit nevertheless. In fact, Viva Las Vegas reached #29 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1964.

Incidentally, Elvis never sang the song live, but a great many performances did. In 1992, the RIAA certified the song gold after it sold 500,000 copies in the US.

4The Band – Up on Cripple Creek

The song reveals the story of a truck driver who goes to visit his beloved Bessie, “a drunkard’s dream” and win big at the racetrack. The song is written by Robbie Robertson. What is most captivating about this gambling-themed song is the renown sound from the Jew’s harp, played by Garth Hudson. According to some, it is exactly Garth’s sense of rhythm and his ability to play the chords that makes The Band sound like themselves.

Part from The Band’s second album of the same name, Up on Cripple Creek was released in November 1969. Almost immediately after the release, The Band performed their song on the Ed Sullivan Show. That same year, in 1969, the song reached #25 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Up on Cripple Creek was performed live in 1976 for The Band’s concert movie called The Last Waltz. In 1974, on a tour with Bob Dylan, Up on Cripple Creek was performed live.

3The Bob Seger System – Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man

This was the first song to make Bob Seger well-known all over the US. Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man was released in January 1969 and reached its peak in 1976, when it claimed #17 on the Pop Singles charts. The lyrics tell how Seger masters fortune wheel spinning and dice throwing.

Incidentally, Bob Seger named his first studio album Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man. Initially, the album title was Lucy Blue, but later the artist realised that Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man was a better title.

Interestingly, the song features Glenn Frey before his moving to Los Angeles and founding the Eagles. In fact, Frey has often stated that he owes a great part of his success to Seger.

2Kenny Rogers – The Gambler

The song was written by Don Schlitz in 1976 and a good many performers recorded it, though, they achieved little success. Until Kenny Rogers appeared on the scene. Kenny made The Gambler a hit in 1979. In a statement, the singer ironically said that neither he, nor Don find gambling attractive. What is more, Kenny has stated that he perceives the song as one describing s a philosophy of life, rather than simply gambling.

Kenny Roger’s version of The Gambler claimed #1 on the Country Hit charts and even reached Pop charts as well. The song was released in 1978 as a title track of Roger’s album The Gambler. The song won Kenny a Grammy award in 1980.

1Motorhead – Ace of Spades

Ace of Spades is one of he most popular songs of the heavy metal band Motorhead. The single was released in 1980 and the lyrics were co-written by Lemmy – the band’s founder, who perished in 2015. when asked what inspired him to write the song, Lemmy said that he was inspired by slot machines he played in London.

Ace of Spades was first released as a 7” vinyl single in 1980. Later, the band released an album with the same title and, following Motorhead’s tour, Ace of Spades was released again by Bronze Records as a 12” vinyl for Christmas; the copies were limited to 50,000. Incidentally, the song became so popular that Bronze Records also issued Spanish, German, and even Japanese limited vinyl versions.

Shortly before the song was released, Motorhead’s founder Lemmy was interviewed on the BBC Radio 1. A month later, the band played their song on a BBC TV show.

All in all, it is not surprising that gambling has become an integral part of our lives and a vital part of our pop and TV culture. Nowadays, gambling-themed movies and gambling-themed songs often achieve great success, becoming popular among an increasing number of people.

Jamie Coughlan is the founder of Overblown. He talks a lot about himself and is totally pretentious. Terrible with personal finances. Loves beer gardens. He has written for the RTE Guide, A Music Blog, Yea?, The Thin Air, Gigwise, and is a contributor to The Tipping Point.

Overblown is all about subterreanean music. We aim to champion bands and record labels that we are passionate about and are overlooked and undervalued by the mainstream media machine, while still paying homage to the iconic bands and labels who laid and developed the groundwork for today’s emerging talent.